Jim Miller (2001) - Hall of Fame

Jim Miller

Induction:
2001
Class:
1975

Jim Miller, a 1971 graduate of East Waterloo High School, didn’t travel too far from home to attend college.

A high school standout, he compiled a 43-11 record and finished third in the state at 134 pounds in 1971. He came to UNI and became one of the team’s premier wrestlers, where he accumulated 128 wins and a meager 22 losses while wrestling for head coach Chuck Patten. During his stint at UNI, he was a NCAA Division II champion in 1974 and ’75, when he also was a Division I All-American with second- and fourth-place finishes. Miller was selected twice for the National Wrestling Coaches Associations All-Star Meet, and in 1976 was the National Open Freestyle runner-up. He earned his B.A. degree in 1975 and a M.A. in 1988.

After earning his B.A., he went on to coach at Charles City (Iowa) High School, serving as head coach from 1978-83, compiling a 55-10 record. In 1979, he was selected Iowa’s High School Coach of the Year for class 3A. His team finished in the top 10 five out of the six years. He returned to UNI in 1983 to become an assistant coach, serving until 1991. In 1989, he was named the Top Assistant Coach by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

In 1991, he became the head coach at Wartburg College, where he put together an amazing run as head coach of the Knights, having been named NCAA Division III Coach of the Year numerous times, and annually competing for the NCAA national championship. In 1994, he was inducted into the East Waterloo Hall of Fame, the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1999, and into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2000.